Good Music We Can Know

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Toward the Sunlight, For the Sake of Us All: Kim Jung Mi- Now (1973)

This record has been around for long enough that most of you have probably heard it, but I recently received a request for it and figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to post it. As the demon of time turns over his hourglass and declares a new year of infinite tortures, as cities burn and death rains from the sky, as we scrabble to the bars and peer out from our cages only to see a neverending matryoshka of larger encapsulating cages, what better balm for the torment–what brighter beacon to shine into the wall of storms–could there be than the righteous beauty of Kim Jung Mi and Shin Joong Hyun's masterpiece, Now? With clarity of vision and perfect execution, these songs fill the air with sensuality and strength and all the pure beauty of spirit we so often imagine humanity to possess and so rarely see evidence of. "Your Dream Like a Stream" sounds to my ears like a call of defiance issued into the devil's foul yawning maw, a fist shaken in the air at the audacity and arrogance of anyone who might judge us from his seat in the sky. Kim Jung Mi's voice creates a calm spot in the rain of blood and ash where one can breathe; it re-orients the universe to align itself with her at its center. Because when "Toward the Sunlight" or "My Beautiful Land" is playing, when that voice sounds out (and is risen on the gorgeous structures of Shin Joong Hyun's guitar and arrangement), god damn it then something is right with this monstrous unfinished creation we call existence. Happy New Year, I love you all.NOW/Wind(192)

I have also included a Kim Jung Mi record called Wind, which I can't remember anything about and which has the same basic tracklist as Now, with some exceptions, but which I have always liked having as well. Both are sadly no better than 192. Feel free to educate me on the particulars of these releases, and/or upgrade the qualitywhile you're at it.This post is for Adam first and all others in a very close second.

Good Music We Can Know

Here I will talk about some great secret musics that most people forget to know about. This is a place for me to both share and wax rhapsodic about largely unsung records that I feel to be masterpieces in their way. Call this masterpiece theater or just call it a dead dog but show up here and read about music you can listen to.

(If anyone out there is a copyright holder on any of these recordings, holler at me here and I will fall to my knees and remove any offending links, immediately and with satisfying contrition.)

I generally do not rip these myself. I am a collector and a rabid one and I avail myself of the many blogs and resources across this great and noble expanse of internet. If I post something obtained from somewhere else, I will try to give credit where it is due, but sometimes I forget. I'm not trying to steal thunder, I just want to spread the word to those who haven't yet heard. Forgive me if I transgress.

If you have feelings, consider sharing them in the comments. No harm can come of it if you were to say thank you, or further a dialogue, or harangue me for my tastes, or in any other way contribute to this internet village in which I have erected a hut. Thanks for stopping by my hut, by the way.

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